Staying with Kids at Barcelona’s Le Meridien

October 19, 2016 Margalit Sturm Francus

One of our favorite places to stay while visiting Barcelona, Spain is the Le Meridian hotel. This five-star establishment, located at 111 La Rambla in the heart of Barcelona, contains 231 rooms and is centrally situated in the city.The hotel is a short walking distance from the Barri-Gotic old town, as well as the Picasso museum.

What Makes the Le Meridien Family Worthy?

As stated before, the hotel is within walking distance of the Liceo Opera, and the epic Cathedral Sagrada Familia. It is also within 30 minutes of the beach. A wide variety of shops and eateries as well as the city’s famous market are less than five minutes away. The property offers excellent connecting suites, which is an incredible bonus for families that are traveling together but wish to have some privacy during their hotel stay.The property offers excellent connecting mini-suites, which is a fantastic bonus for families that are traveling together but want to have some privacy during their hotel stay.

Décor

Although the hotel’s sleek décor is mostly comprised of dark hues, splashes of vibrant color and metallics are used as an accent throughout the public spaces and rooms. The boutique hotel lobby reminded us of an upscale Starbucks coffee house with modestly padded seating that felt quite uncomfortable within minutes of sitting down.

Fellow Travelers

Since the property is on a tourist thoroughfare, most travelers are couples and families wishing to experience the vibrant atmosphere.

Suites

Rooms 447 and 450 in this hotel were the best connecting mini suites we’ve ever stayed in. Each of the carpeted rooms was connected via a narrow hallway that also had a separate door leading outside, which could be locked at night.

The comfortable suites had a modern, minimalistic décor, yet the furniture included in the rooms was quite functional. The large beds were incredibly comfortable with fluffy pillows that weren’t too hard. Our king sized bedroom had a hip orange chair, a convenient place to relax in the evenings. By contrast, the twin bedroom had a desk where guests could work on projects or check social media. Both spaces had good shelving units and sizable closets for storing luggage and all the items we brought along. There were flat screen TVs and coffee makers that helped round out the furnishings. Also, not only were the rooms incredibly well lit, but they also had an adequate amount of outlets for charging electronics.

The Bathroom

Each room had its own bathroom, which was slightly different. The master came with a natural stone shower area, sink, and commode. The kids’ room came with a natural, dark gray-hued stone bathroom with a bathtub/shower combo with a top of the line shower head. Both showers had fixed rain showers overhead. The hotel provided complete amenity kits with nail files and shower caps as well as slippers and toiletries. Our kids loved the fact that each bathroom had a mini TV in it to watch while taking a bath or shower.

Hotel Amenities

Massages and aromatherapy treatments were available at the hotel’s spa. The Le Meridien also boasted a working gym, hot tub, Turkish steam bath, and sauna. Useful for everyone these days was the fact that complimentary Wi-Fi was available in all the hotel’s public areas and that the reception desk was open 24 hours a day.

Restaurants & Bars

The property has two main dining venues that serve local Spanish food. The Cent Onze restaurant offers spectacular views and fresh Mediterranean dishes, while the Longitude Bar 02º 10′ has fresh pastries and coffee. In the evening, the Longitude Bar has traditional Spanish tapas for the guests as well. The hotel has an international breakfast buffet every morning, which we were told was excellent. However, we have yet to try it since we always seem to get the early flights out of Barcelona that leave at 6 AM.

Service

While lounging in the lobby waiting for our room to be ready, we ordered coffees and hot chocolates. Our son with autism managed to spill his immediately on the floor. He started to cry since he knew that there were no free refills offered and he was looking forward to having that hot chocolate. One of the employees in the coffee shop immediately jumped to the rescue and made him another hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream on top to keep him happy.

Housekeeping was impeccable, and the staff arrived within minutes of us picking up the phone and requesting additional towels.

Autism Travel Tips:

Since this is Europe, parents need to be aware that there are hotels with smoking rooms. However, non-smoking rooms are available, and all the public areas are smoke-free as well.
Those who are light sleepers might want to request a higher floor to keep any sound from the nearby pedestrian areas from disturbing their rest.
Noise sensitive individuals may additionally want to avoid booking rooms that face La Rambla Street. Guests should instead opt for quieter rooms in the back of the hotel with no view.
Some of the suites, like the one we stayed in, have handheld showerheads. These are useful for bathing young children or other individuals who require assistance.
Other rooms feature tubs with a safety bar on the side. Because of this, a disabled person can enter and exit the bath without slipping.
Both rooms we stayed in had glass closet and bathroom glass doors, which may be hazardous for younger kids.